


drive the winding pavement road

by knightcap



Category: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson
Genre: Driving, Everybody Lives, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-04
Updated: 2017-06-04
Packaged: 2018-11-08 19:45:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11088648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knightcap/pseuds/knightcap
Summary: Sometimes you just want to chill in the passenger seat. Is that so wrong? (Connor's laziness backfires.) Short + sweet + simple.





	drive the winding pavement road

**Author's Note:**

  * For [emilywolf](https://archiveofourown.org/users/emilywolf/gifts).



> dedicated 2 my favorite furry <333

 

 

 

_I can’t, I don’t have a ride. :(_

**u have a bike**

_It’s cold!!!_

_I could get hit by a car_

_On second thought_

**come over u’ll either die or see me so win/win?**

_Can you just come pick me up_

**FINE but we’re going out**

_ugh_

**UGHHH**

 

 

“You said we were getting pizza,” Evan said as soon as Connor turned left. “The Dominos is up past here, remember, hey, Connor-”

“I’m fine,” Connor cut in, before the rambling could go too far. Evan shrunk in his seat, a little, and Connor repressed the very strong urge to roll his eyes in a way that would be taken wrong. “It’s fine,” he tried to say again, gentler-- what a weird word, right? Two months ago gentle wasn’t a word that could be applied to Connor if he was sleeping in a pile of bunnies. He’d probably kick the bunnies. He should probably pay attention to the road before Evan’s anxiety became a self-fulfilling prophecy and he spaced out for real.   
  
“So are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

“You’ll see.”

It didn’t take long for Evan to see, actually. The lot was just up past Kidding Around, where Jared and other three year olds were dumped to play with germy blocks while their parents couldn’t be around. Connor hated that place. Daycare as a concept depressed the fuck out of him. Evan wasn’t exactly a fan, either, judging by the way his face hardened as he stared at it.   
  
Evan’s mom was probably just too busy, he thought, driving past the treacherous daycare, past the shitty ice skating rink, past the abandoned lot that couldn’t hold a restaurant for more than a month (something Mexican, currently.) Maybe they could get burritos after. A congratulations prize to Evan for learning how to drive.

Because Connor was going to fucking teach Evan to drive already.

He pulled into the empty parking lot, and shifted in his seat to look at Evan, who to his surprise was not blanching in fear or looking anxious, or as much as dear Evan Hansen could manage to not be anxious. Instead, he just seemed… resigned.  

It kinda took some of the fun out of it, actually. But Connor was nothing if not stubborn to a fault. “Surprise driving lessons!” He tried to feel some sadistic glee in the words, but the look Evan shot him could only be described as withering, and Connor felt nothing at all.

Evan sighed, and unbuckled, getting out of the car. Let’s get this out of the way, he maybe muttered. Connor got out and buckled up. “Okay, so the right is the gas, and the middle is brake-”

“I know which- which pedals are which, Connor.” Evan stared at the wheel a minute, and then proved the claim wasn’t empty. The car started with a lurch, and his hands tightened in their ten-and-two grip, but they slowed a moment later, chugging smoothly toward the back of the lot. “I don’t need- tips or pointers, just sit there and-” he started up again a moment later, and Connor just did as he told and nodded. Made a little motion to zip the lips, and throw away the key. He was rewarded with a breathy laugh, a half smile dwelling instead of the nervous tics and twitches.  

Connor didn’t think about that, and Evan didn’t notice. Evan was… calmer than he’d been in a few days, actually, behind the wheel for once. His breathing was deep and slow, and he was handling the turns well. He was doing better than Connor would ever have thought a first timer would be, but then, maybe he wasn’t testing him enough. “Alright, pretty good. Can you park?” 

He could park.

Connor was cracking. “Uh. Can you back into that space?”  
  
He could back into the space, and park, and shut the car down without a second thought.

Evan pulled the keys out of the ignition, and dropped them into Connor’s hand, that small smile now an undeniable smirk. A you-thought-I-couldn’t smirk. The worst kind. The kind Connor completely deserved.

He stared, bug-eyed, and Evan’s smirk grew into a smile, mischief in those blue eyes.

“What the fuck,” Connor finally said, the question peeling out of his throat like a bandaid off skin.

“I know how to drive,” Evan said, completely unnecessarily. Connor just stared, and waited, and the discomfort of the silence inevitably made him start talking. “I took, uh, driver’s ed, you know they had classes, in junior year, when everyone was, I just never- never got around to getting a car-”

“Why not?” He interrupted, blunt. He wasn’t angry. But he was thinking about all the hours he’d spent behind the wheel.

“I don’t like-” Evan trailed off midsentence, doubting himself, but Connor huffed and he started again, faster, higher. “I don’t like all the pressure of driving, you know! And there are so many other people and I worry about hurting other people and having to go with the instructor was the worst like I learned but there was just this really old man who smelled like crackers bossing me around and his name was Dirty Bob-” 

“Deep breaths, Hansen. Four seven eight.” 

“Go jump off a tree,” Evan said, weakly, and Connor snorted, loudly. “I don’t like driving.”

“But you drove me,” Connor said, completely unnecessarily.

“Yes.” Evan seemed uncertain of where this was going.

Connor didn’t quite know either. It was just so unconventional. He had done everything wrong. He’d forced Evan into hanging out and changed his plans last minute without a warning and forced him out of his comfort zone, and Evan had done just fine. He hadn’t even dropped into a stutter.  

Connor squinted. “You’re not freaking out?”  
  
“Why should I?” Evan finally, finally opened the driver side door, and the slight noise made him realize just how prolonged the silence had been. Connor got out easily, stopping at a touch. For all he raged and swung and hit that was all it took- Evan’s hand on his forearm, bunching up his sweater. “You don’t make me nervous,” he said plainly, looking soft in the midafternoon’s winter sun, and Connor’s tiny cold heart melted.

He kissed him now, quickly, because his breath would smell too much later. They’d earned those damn burritos.


End file.
